theatre

Louise Jameson to star in Philip Ridley's VINCENT RIVER at London's Park Theatre

Louise Jameson is to star with recent graduate Thomas Mahy making his London stage debut in Philip Ridley’s Vincent River.

Davey has seen something he can never forget. Anita has been forced to flee her home. Tonight, they meet for the first time... and their lives will change forever.

Philip Ridley’s modern classic was a huge success when it premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in 2001, and a West End smash in 2007. Thrilling, heartbreaking and darkly humorous by turns, it is now seen as one of the most powerful explorations of hate crime - and society’s need to crush ‘difference’ - ever written.

Directed by Robert Chevara, it will run at London’s Park Theatre from Tuesday 20 March - Saturday 14 April.

Press night: Friday 23 March at 7.00pm.

Louise Jameson played the iconic role of assistant Leela in Dr Who in the Seventies opposite Tom Baker. She later starred in Tenko, Bergerac and EastEnders. In a 40-year career, her first love, the theatre, has seen her on stage at the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. Earlier this year, she was nominated Best Actress in the 2018 Offies (Off West End) awards for her portrayal of Racquell in the critically acclaimed production of My Gay Best Friend that she co-wrote with her co-star, Nigel Fairs. She recently toured the UK playing Miss Marple in Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced, she played Beth in Timberlake Wertenbaker’s new play Winter Hill at Bolton Octagon, and starred in the 60th anniversary production of The Mousetrap UK tour.

Thomas Mahy is a recent graduate of Drama Centre, London. He is currently playing Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights at Euro Theater Bonn, Germany.

Director: Robert Chevara. Designer: Nicolai Hart Hansen.

Produced by Celia Dugua in association with Park Theatre.

“Director Robert Chevara said: ”Philip Ridley is one of Britain’s greatest living writers and I have always wanted to direct his work and collaborate with him. Vincent River is both a modern classic and a dazzling, visionary piece of theatre. The play is even more prophetic now than when it was first produced. The murder of Jo Cox MP shocked the nation and hate crimes have risen by 29% this last year alone. But hate crimes against LGBT people in the UK have surged by nearly 80% in recent years.

“I am thrilled to have cast an actress I admire, Louise Jameson as Vincent’s grieving, wounded mother Anita and newcomer Thomas Mahy as the menacing and volatile Davey, who turns up at her door. The design is by Nicolai Hart Hansen, who collaborated with me on the critically acclaimed productions of Tennessee William’s Vieux Carré (Kings Head/West End), In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel (Charing Cross Theatre) and Mike Bartlett’s Cock/Bull (Danish premiere).”

Philip Ridley (Playwright)

Philip was born and grew up in the East End of London. He studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art and his work has been exhibited widely throughout Europe and Japan. As well as three books for adults (Crocodilia, In The Eyes of Mr Fury and Flamingos in Orbit) - and the highly acclaimed screenplay for the The Krays feature film (winner of The Evening Standard Best Film of the Year Award) - he has written many highly regarded and hugely influential stage plays: the seminal The Pitchfork Disney, The Fastest Clock in the Universe (winner of a Time Out Award, the Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright, and the Meyer-Whitworth Prize), Ghost from a Perfect Place (nominated for The Evening Standard Best New Play Award), Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass, Piranha Heights, Tender Napalm (nominated for the London Fringe Best Play Award), Shivered (nominated for the Off-West End Best New Play Award), Dark Vanilla Jungle (winner of an Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award), Radiant Vermin, Tonight With Donny Stixx and Karagula (nominated for the Off-West End Best New Play Award) , plus several plays for young people (collectively known as The Storyteller Sequence): Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece (named as one of the 50 Best Works About Cultural Diversity by the National Centre for Children’s Books), Sparkleshark and Brokenville, plus a play for the whole family, Feathers in the Snow (shortlisted for the Brian Way Best Play Award) and a play for young children, Daffodil Scissors. In 2001 he was one of the writers chosen to contribute to the National Theatre’s Chain Play (celebrating the venue’s 25th anniversary). He has also written novels for children, including Scribbleboy (shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal), Kasper in the Glitter (nominated for the Whitbread Prize), Mighty Fizz Chilla (nominated for the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and the Carnegie medal), ZinderZunder, Vinegar Street, Zip’s Apollo and the bestseller Krindlekrax (winner of both the Smarties Prize and WH Smith’s Mind-Boggling Books Award), the stage play of which – adapted by Philip himself – was premiered at the Birmingham Rep Theatre in 2002. He has also directed three feature films from his own screenplays: The Reflecting Skin - winner of eleven international awards (including the prestigious George Sadoul Prize) - The Passion of Darkly Noon (winner of the Best Director Prize at the Porto Film Festival) and Heartless (winner of The Silver Meliers Award for Best Fantasy Film). For the latter two films, Philip co-wrote a number of original songs, one of which, Who Will Love Me Know? (performed by P.J. Harvey) was voted BBC Radio 1’s Top Film Song of 1998 and has since been covered by the techno-house band Sunscreem (as Please Save Me), becoming both a club and viral hit. In 2012 What’s On Stage named him a Jubilee Playwright (one of the most influential British writers to have emerged in the past six decades). Philip has won both the Evening Standard’s Most Promising Newcomer to British Film and Most Promising Playwright Awards. The only person ever to receive both prizes.

Robert Chevara (Director)

Robert Chevara is an award-winning theatre and opera director. He was the recipient of a cultural study award from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, as well as a Churchill Fellowship award. He won the Prudential award for his production of Carmen (Mid Wales Opera) and best contemporary opera production for Tom Adès’s Powder Her Face (Stockholm). His production of Tennessee Williams’s Vieux Carré also won Best Revival of a Play Award 2013 from Front Row Dress. His numerous theatre productions include Williams’s early piece “The Chorus Girl Plays” (World premiere – Tennessee Williams Festival, Provincetown 2013), the world premiere of Lionel Bart’s musical “Quasimodo” (Kings Head Theatre); and The Glass Menagerie (TheatreSpace, London); As You Like It (English Theatre Berlin); Fair!, a play with music, which he devised with young offenders for the National Youth Theatre at Bullwood Hall Prison; Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls (Hau Theatre, Berlin); Hotter than Rochester by Paul Doust (Paines Plough); JM Barrie’s Mary Rose; Strindberg’s Easter and Hamlet (TheatreSpace, London); Eva Peron and The Four Twins, two one-act plays by Copi (BAC). In 2016 he directed the Danish premiere of Mike Bartlett’s Cock and Bull, Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Copenhagen Opera Academy) and the world premiere of Alexis Gregory’s Bright Skin Light (Theatre Royal Stratford East). Last year his production of Tennessee Williams’ In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel starring Linda Marlowe at the Charing Cross Theatre was named by The Times as one of the 10 best productions of 2017. Future plans include an American tour of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, Alexis Gregory’s lauded new play Sex/Crime at The Glory, the German premiere of Gail Louw’s controversial play Blond Poison in Berlin and a double bill of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi for the Royal Northern College of Music. His first book was published by Oberon Books in 2016 and he has had several poems published in anthologies in the last year.

Park Theatre

Park Theatre is fast becoming recognised as a powerhouse of theatre. In four years, it has enjoyed three West End transfers (including Daytona starring Maureen Lipman and The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss), two National Theatre transfers, 10 national tours, an Olivier Award nomination and a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage.